Weft bobbin creel



United States Patent Erwin ll'arrwaller Winterthur, Switzerland 752,7 l4

Aug. I4, 1968 Sept. 1. 1970 Sulzer Brothers Limited Winterthur. Switzerland a Swiss company [32] Priority Aug. I7, 1967 l 3 3 Switzerland [3 l No. [1,605/67 [72! inventor l2l I Appl. No. [22] Filed [45] Patented [73] Assignee [54] WEFT BOBBIN CREEL 4 Claims, 7 Drawing Figs.

5n U.S.Cl 139/122, 242/130 151 lnt.Cl ..D03d47/00 so l-ieldofSearch 66/125; 242/l30.l3l.l3l.l:|39/l22l27 [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 296L185 [H1960 Seigle .i 242/130 3 l69,248 2/l965 Cont.... l39/l22 3,236.265 2/l966 Brooks ire l39/l 21 3,32l,l52 5/l967 Poore et al v. l39/l22 Primary ExaminerHenry S. Jaudon Armrne vPennie, Edmonds, Morton, Taylor and Adams ABSTRACT: There is disclosed a creel in which a plurality of weft bobbins are disposed in a common plane and in a circular array, the bobbins being engaged on radially inwardly pointing stub shafts hingedly supported at the ends of spokes or arms radiating from a hub which is rotatable about a vertical axis between angular limits set by stops to prevent tangling of the threads. The threads are led from the bobbins through eyes at the hub ofthe creel and then through a hollow stationary hearing for the hub, down out olthe ereel.

Patented Sept. i, 1976 Fig. I

INVENTOR Erwin Pforrgyoller BY 0 I ATTORNEYS Patented Sept. 1, 1976 3,526,253

Fig.2

A T T o R N E vs Patented Sept. 1, 1976 3,526,253

Sheet 4 of5 INVENTOR Erwin Pfurrwoller BY W MJ ZMMM ATTORNEYS Patented Sept. 1,1970 3,526,253

INVENTOR Erwin Pforrvgclller BY (2% I ATTORNEYS WEFT BOBBIN CREEL The present invention pertains to a weft bobbin support or creel for looms wherein the weft bobbins remain outside the shed. The creel of the invention is useful for example in conjunction with looms wherein wefts of different yarns or colors are woven into the cloth.

In known looms the weft bobbin creel is disposed in the vicinity of the weaving plane on the picking side of the loom, either in fixed position or swingably on a hinged supporting frame. This construction makes it difficult to obtain access to certain portions of the loom such as the heddle driving mechanism, the picking mechanism, the yarn feeding device, weft tensioner and pull-back mechanism, the heddle reversing mechanism and, especially in looms employing plural wefts, the weft change mechanism.

For looms operating at high picking rates an intermediate weft thread storage device is advantageously provided between the weft bobbin actually in service and the picking mechanism. Apparatus of this type is described for example in my copending application for Weft Thread Supply Apparatus for Gripper Shuttle Looms", Ser. No. 584,13I, filed October 4, I966, which is assigned to the assignee hereof, now US. Pat. No. 3,411,548. The provision of such intermediate weft thread storage apparatus requires added space, increasing the floor area required for the loom, and also makes additionally difficult access by the weaver to certain portions of the loom on the picking side thereof.

The weft bobbin creels heretofore proposed of which I am aware accommodate the bobbins in pairs with two of the same thread color or quality in each pair superposed one above the other, one bobbin serving at one time to supply the yarn to the loom while the other is in reserve. The inner end of :the thread on the bobbin in service is knotted to the outer end of the yarn or thread on the second bobbin so that when one bobbin is exhausted the weft will be pulled automatically from the second.

7 In weft yarn creels, yarn pulled off a bobbin passes through an eye disposed more or less collinearly with the stub shaft or peg on which the bobbin is supported, and a thread balloon is formed between the bobbin and the eye. In the prior art creels above-described in which the two bobbins of each pair are disposed one above the other, the eye for each bobbin pair is disposed substantially at mid-height between the two bobbins. and the stub shafts for supporting the upper bobbins are inclined downwardly to the horizontal while those which support the lower bobbins are inclined upwardly. Consequently the draw-off resistance for the thread is unequal for the two bobbins, and this is disadvantageous for uniformity of the cloth being woven. In addition, with certain yarns and with the downwardly inclined upper bobbin there exists a danger that coils of the yarn will fall prematurely off the bobbin, or on the contrary remain behind the bobbin and form tangles, producing irregularities in the cloth.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a new construction for support of the weft bobbins, surmounting and obviating the disadvantages above-described.

In accordance with the invention the weft supply bobbins a'r'disposed in a circle above the weaving plane and above the picking mechanism in a creel which is rotatable about a substantially vertical axis. More particularly, the bobbins are carried on' radially inwardly directed stub shafts so that a weft thread pulled off over the end of such a bobbin passes through athr'ead eye in the vicinity of the axis of the creel and passes downwardly out from the creel and thence to the picking mechanism ofthe loom.

.3 In one embodiment of the invention the hub of the creel includes a plurality of spoke-like arms. At the outer end of each of these arms there is provided a hinged bobbin carrier which can be rotated outwardly about a vertical axis upon release of Each bobbin carrier comprises a swingable arm and a stub shaft affixed at the free end of that arm transversely of the length thereof. The arm is substantially horizontal and in operating position extends substantially tangentially to the periphery of the creel. The stub shaft then extends radially inwardly at an angle to the axis of the creel, this angle being the same for all bobbins. The bobbins remain stationary on their stub during operation, and the weft thread is pulled off over the end of each bobbin, while it is supplying weft to the loom, along a line which constitutes a continuation of the stub shaft, through a guiding eye.

Consequently with the construction of the invention there are satisfied the requirements for safe and dependable pull-off of weft thread. Thus the inclination of the stub shaft and hence of the axis of the bobbin with respect to the horizontal and the relation thereof to the guide eyes near the center of the creel are substantially the same for all bobbins. This produces a uniformity in the woven cloth.

In order further to improve accessibility of the individual parts of the creel, the creel itself is rotatably supported about a vertical axis for rotation between angular limits. According to a further feature of the invention, the rotatable creel may be held stationary during loom operation by means of a catch, which can be of any desired kind. By provision thereof twisting and tangling of the individual weft threads is dependably prevented even in the face of vibration while the loom is in operation.

According to a further feature of the invention, the two bobbins of each pair whose threads are connected together are disposed in a common horizontal plane, the thread being withdrawn from one while the other remains in reserve. With the construction of the 'ivention there is readily preserved for all bobbins the same inclination of the bobbin axis to the horizontal and hence to the axis of the creel, so that the con ditions for uniform resistance to pull-off upon changeover from one bobbin to the next are readily assured.

For each such pair of bobbins a thread balloon limiting screen is fastened to the spoke-like arms of the bobbin carrier. A partition is provided between the bobbins of each pair. This feature additionally contributes to a clean and uniform pulloffof thread from the bobbins and excludes tangling thereof.

It is an advantage of the invention that the creel can be disposed in the optimum position with respect to the loom. Thus in one construction the creel is fastened to the frame on the picking side of the loom and above the thread feeding mechanism which delivers the ends of the wefts to the shuttles. This high disposition of the creel effects a substantial reduction in the floor area required for the loom. Lengthwise of the loom this may amount to some 40 to 60 centimeters. At the same time the invention improves accessibility to the picking mechanism and to adjacent parts of the loom.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The invention will now be further described in terms of a presently preferred non-limitative exemplary embodiment thereof and with reference to the "ecompanying drawings, in which: 3

FIG. 1 is a view in elevation ofa loom including a creel according to the invention. the loom being seen from the cloth end, and showing a weft bobbin creel at the picking side of the loom in high position;

FIG. 2 is a view in elevation at an enlarged scale of a creel according to the invention, seen partly in section;

FIG. 3 is a simplified plan view ofthe creel of FIG. 2;

FIGS. 4 and 5 are respectively elevational and plan views at an enlarged scale of the hub of the creel of FIG. 2, the creel being in an angular position of rest; and

FIGS. 6 and 7 are views similar to those of FIGS. 4 and 5 respectively, but showing the creel displaced by approximately about its vertical axis from the position occupied by it in FIGS. 4 and 5.

Similar reference characters are applied to corresponding parts throughout the several views of the drawing.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring to FIG. 1, reference character 3 identifies the cloth beam of the loom, the picking and catching side frame members thereof being identified at reference characters 1 and 2. The main drive motor 4 drives the main loom shaft through a belt connection to a combined flywheel and clutch 5. Reference character 6 identifies heddle frames for formation of a shed. The picking mechanism is indicated at 7 and a shuttle is shown at 9 passing through the shed to a catcher 8. One or more weft threads 23 may be simultaneously picked through the shed by means of the same shuttle. If narrower widths of cloth are to be woven, the catching mechanism 8 may be moved back towards the picking side, for example to the position indicated at 8a in dot-dash lines. After it has been picked through the shed, the shuttle is braked to a stop in the catcher and is returned or restored a short distance toward the picking side of the loom in order to compensate for irregularities in the distance required for braking. In this process the weft is similarly drawn back toward the picking side by means ofa thread tensioner 10. It is then grasped by edge clamps not shown and cut off on the picking side, whereupon there occurs shed change. The weft ends are then tucked into the next shed by means of tuck-in needles and beaten up with the next weft. For achievement of various desired forms of weave the heddle frames 6 are driven by a dobby 11, for example of the card or eccentric type which in the case of weaving with plural wefts or weft colors can also control the weft feeders for selection in the proper order of wefts from various supply bobbins 22 in the bobbin creel 13 of FIG. 2. According to the prescribed succession of weft colors one or more wefts may be drawn in succession from the same bobbin 22 while the other bobbins are waiting, or alternatively the weft color or yarn type can be changed with each pick.

In the case of high speed looms account must be taken of the fact that the time available for picking is a small fraction of the loom cycle. The speed of the shuttle and of the weft attached thereto is therefore high during their passage through the shed, whereas the end of the weft next to be inserted is practically stationary until picking time therefor. In order to achieve dependable operation with this discontinuous motion of the wefts, an intermediate weft thread storage device 12 is provided between the bobbins 22 or their eyes 24 in the creel and the thread feeder in the picking mechanism. This intermediate weft thread storage device pulls the weft at a substantially uniform speed from the supply bobbin and prepares the length of weft necessary for the next pick. It is thus in position to deliver the thread at the very high speed required for the actual picking operation. A thread brake 240 (FIG. 1) between the eyes 24 and the intermediate weft thread storage device aids in effecting withdrawal of the thread in optimum fashion from the supply bobbins for delivery at a substantially uniform thread tension to the intermediate weft thread storage device 12.

The creel is generally indicated at I3 in FIG. 1. It is in the embodiment illustrated fastened to the side member I of the loom by means of a bow, stirrup or strut 14 at the picking side of the loom above the picking mechanism 7 and thread retraction mechanism I0. The support strut 14 carries a bearing 15 on which the entire weight of the creel is borne.

The hub I6 of the creel (FIGS. 4 to 7) is rotatable on the bearing 15 (FIG. 2) about a substantially vertical axis, between angular limits specified by abutments 16a on the stationary part of the bearing and an abutment 1612 on the hub 12. Spoke-like arms I7 carry at their outer ends each a bobbin support rotatable with respect to the remainder of the creel on a hinge about a substantially vertical axis. The bobbin supports comprise an arm 19 fastened to the hinge and a stub shaft 2] affixed to the arm, and can be held in the operative position shown therefor in FIG. 3 by a stop device (not shown). A weft supply bobbin 22, for example of the crosswound type can be engaged on the stub shaft 2] which is adjustable in angular inclination to the horizontal. The weft thread 23 is pulled off of the bobbin over the end thereof to pass inside the web thread balloon limiting screen 25 and through a guide eye 24 in the middle of the creel. The weft threads, one for each pair of weft bobbins employed, pass from the eyes 24 downwardly through the inner annular stationary part of bearing 15 as indicated in FIG. 2 and thence out of the creel. They then pass through a thread brake 24a (FIG. I) and the intermediate weft thread storage device 12 before being delivered to the thread feeding device for presentation to the shuttles.

The stub shafts 21 are so disposed that they are aligned with the eyes 24 so that the thread or threads 23 being instantaneously pulled form each a symmetrical balloon between the bobbins from which they are being drawn and their respective eyes 24. The bobbins are provided in pairs with the two bobbins of each pair being made up of thread of the same kind and supported on adjacent stub shafts 21 in a common horizontal plane and within a common screen 25 (FIG. 2) on which the thread guiding eye 24 for that pair of bobbins is supported in the vicinity of the axis ofthe carrier 13. A dividing partition 26 is disposed between the two bobbins of each pair. The screens and partitions are advantageously made of transparent plastic material. The inner end of the thread on one bobbin is connected to the outer end of the thread on the other bobbin of each pair, the connecting thread portion lying loose! on the partition 26 the upper edge of which bears a piece of felt 26a in order to forestall inadvertent slipping off of that connecting thread. When the thread on the first bobbin is exhausted, the thread will automatically be drawn off of the second. A new bobbin can then be set onto the stub shaft previously occupied by the first bobbin without interrupting the weaving process, its end being then knotted to the inner end ofthe other bobbin now in service.

FIGS. 4 to 7 show how the hub 16 is borne on the bearing 15. In order that the threads 23 passing downwardly through the hollow stationary inner part of the bearing may not become tangled, the rotation of the creel is limited by means of the abutments 16a and 16b already described.

The creel may alternatively be restrained against undesired rotations by the provision ofa notch 18a in the stationary part of the bearing and of a complementary protrusion or cam 18h on the hub, or the two means to prevent rotation may be provided together.

FIG. 4 shows the cam 18b engaged in the notch 18a, so that the creel is in a position of stable equilibrium. FIG. 6 shows the hub rotated through substantially from the position occupied by it in FIG. 4, so that the cam 18b has been lifted out of the notch 18a. Rotation of the hub is however limited by engagement of the stop 16!) on the hub against one of the abutments 16a on the stationary part of the bearing IS. The notch 18a and cam 18b thus constitute detent means defining a rest position for the creel.

The invention is not limited to the construction illustrated. Other modes of affixation of the creel to the loom may be employed consistently therewith and indeed support thereof from the floor or ceiling of the weaving room independently of the loom. If a larger number of wefts are required than can be conveniently mounted in one creel, then a plurality of creels 13 can be disposed coaxially one above another. More generally, while the invention has been described hereinabove in terms ofa presently preferred embodiment thereof, the invention itself is not limited thereto but rather comprehends all modifications of and departures from that embodiment properly falling within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

Iclaim:

I. A weft bobbin creel for looms having plural weft supplies remaining outside the shed, said creel comprising a hollow stationary bearing, a hub rotatably supported on the bearing, a plurality of stub shafts for the support each of a bobbin, means supporting the shafts from the hub in a circumferential array relative rotation of the hub and bearing to a fraction of a revolution.

4. A creel according to claim 1 including a thread balloon limiting screen for each of the stub shafts and wherein the screens of circumferentially adjacent ones of the stub shafts include a common wall dimensioned to permit the pulling of a continuous thread first from a bobbin on one of those adjacent stub shafts and then from a bobbin on the other of those adjacent stub shafts. 

